COL. AMEN: Was the information which you received secret and
confidential information not open to others?

LAHOUSEN: The information was confidential in accordance with the
manner in which our offices were run. De facto, however, the
happenings in the camps and the occurrences taking place at the
selections were known to large groups of the Wehrmacht.

COL. AMEN: Now, at this conference did you learn anything from
Reinecke with respect to the treatment of Russian prisoners in prison
camps?

LAHOUSEN: In this discussion the treatment of Russian prisoners
in the camps was discussed by Reinecke, and Reinecke was of the
opinion that in the camps their treatment must not be the same as the
treatment of other allied prisoners of war, but that here, too,
appropriate and discriminating measures must be applied. The camp
guards, at all events, had to be furnished with whips, and at the
slightest sign of an attempted escape or other undesirable act, the
guards should have the right to resort to arms.

COL. AMEN: Besides the whips, what other equipment were the
Stalag guards given?

LAHOUSEN: Those are details which I do not remember for the
moment. I can only say what was mentioned in this discussion.

COL.AMEN: What, if anything, did Reinecke say about the whips?

LAHOUSEN: Reinecke said that the guards, that is, the guard
details, should make use of their whips or sticks or whatever
instruments they had.

COL. AMEN: Now, through official channels did you learn of an
order for the branding of Russian prisoners of war?

THE PRESIDENT: Colonel Amen, I think you should refer to them as
"Soviet", not "Russian" prisoners.

COL. AMEN: Yes, Your Honor.

[Continuing the interrogation.] Did you learn of such an
order?

LAHOUSEN: I have heard about it in one of the discussions at
which most of the previously mentioned divisional chiefs were usually
present. At least a majority of them must have been present.

COL. AMEN: Do you know whether any protests were made with
respect to that order?

LAHOUSEN: When the intention of branding these Soviet prisoners
was made known, a very sharp protest was voiced at once by Canaris
through the Amt Ausland, that is, by Bürckner himself.